


many, many happy returns

by maesilju



Series: yakulev week 2015 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, University AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-14 21:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4579896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maesilju/pseuds/maesilju
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for YakuLev Week day 5: birthday – parties, presents, cake, growing older.</p><p>Yaku stresses out about Lev's birthday. Kuroo, Kenma and a certain cat come to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	many, many happy returns

The weather’s turning cooler at last, long sunlit days shortening as the leaves turn from green to yellow to red; and in the blink of an eye, summer is gone, and fall is here. Lev is pleased by this; fall always means it’s his birthday soon. Maybe he’ll grow even taller, too, although Yaku-san probably wouldn't like that. He wonders vaguely what his boyfriend (and here the thrill of being able to say it - even though it’s been two years from the day now, and mentioning the word always makes Yaku-san turn red and kick him) will get him for his birthday. The year before, Yaku’d brought him to Tokyo DisneySea and gone on all the rides with him, even though Yaku had turned horribly green by the end, and had to make a run for the nearest bin. Lev had been banned from ever bringing up the topic - period, even though it had been the best birthday ever, Yaku throwing up aside. They’d shared ice cream and Lev still had the giant Stitch plush that Yaku had thrust at him, ears as flushed as his face as he’d muttered ‘happy birthday’ and looked down. The plush had become his second favorite thing to cuddle - the first being his boyfriend - not that Yaku-san was a thing, of course. 

 

This year, though, is different. Yaku-san’s been grouchier than usual, and not for the first time, Lev feels a sudden stab of worry. He’d told Yaku-san not to fuss, and he really wouldn’t mind not getting anything, as long as he got to spend time with him. Yaku had only dragged him down by the collar for a kiss, and by the time they’d parted, Lev’s brain had gone pleasantly fuzzy and he’d forgotten all about it. In hindsight, Lev should’ve seen that it was a clear sign that Yaku was up to something, but in his defense, it was hard to be rational when Yaku was kissing him like that. Lev blushes at the recollection. Maybe he can convince Yaku that he’s done enough revision this week to warrant a make-out session instead of their usual study date, and he tingles pleasantly at the idea, already looking forward to Yaku pressing him down on the bed and having his way with him.  

 

When he reaches Yaku’s dorm, however, he finds that Yaku’s room is empty. Frowning, Lev fumbles for his phone, just in case Yaku had messaged him on the way over and he’d missed it, but nothing.  _Maybe he just headed out to the convenience store to get some snacks?_ It’s not like Yaku-san to forget, after all, so Lev settles down to wait. Fifteen minutes pass, and still no sign of Yaku. Biting his lip, Lev dials Yaku’s number. Maybe Yaku-san had gotten into an accident, or… 

 

“Yeah?” The drawl on the other end is familiar, and definitely _not_ Yaku’s. 

 

“Kuroo-senpai!?”

 

“No, it’s Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.” Lev can tell Kuroo’s grinning; even over the phone and the tinny static of the line. “Hang on, Yaku’s kinda…” 

 

He never gets to finish the sentence, though. There’s a loud thump, and Kuroo’s voice abruptly drops off the line with a pained oof, but Lev’s ears are sharp, and he can vaguely make out a hissed conversation of sorts going on in the background, although he can’t tell exactly what it’s about. _What the hell is going on?_ “YAKU-SAN!!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” 

 

More hissed words, followed by silence, and then, “YES!” Yaku finally yells back, and Lev lets out a sigh of relief. 

 

“What’s going on -“ 

 

“Look, I’m really sorry about today’s study date, but we were working on… on a project. Yeah. And… uh... we forgot the time. I’ll make it up to you, promise! We’ve got a deadline to meet, so I gotta go!” 

 

The line goes dead. Lev stares down at his phone, frowning. _Yeah, definitely weird._ It’s not unusual for Yaku to get wrapped up in his work, but even then he'd sounded… oddly panicky? Something niggled at him about the oddness of the situation, but try as he might, he couldn’t figure it out. _Oh well._ He’d drop by another time, and hopefully Yaku’d be done with his project the next time. Lev does the next best thing he can - he fishes out a post-it from his backpack and scrawls “good luck with your project!” and, because the paper looks kind of bare, draws a tortoiseshell cat reading a book, a pencil clutched in its paw to go with the message. He sticks it to Yaku’s door and leaves, trying to quell the disappointment gnawing away at him. 

 

Yaku groans, burying his face in his hands. Kuroo pets his shoulder in half-hearted consolation. “It’s not _that_ bad,” he tries.

Kenma raises his head from the game he’s playing to stare at him flatly, unimpressed. “Kuroo, he almost set the kitchen on fire.” 

 

“Okay, so it _is_ pretty bad.” Kuroo throws up his hands in surrender, eyeing the blackened, still-smoking sludge crusting the pots on the stove. “Yeah, it’s… I knew you were a bad cook, Yaku, but I have to admit I didn’t know just how bad until today. It’s kind of impressive, really. And… sad.” 

 

“Shut _up_ ,” Yaku mutters. “Also, thanks for giving the game away.” 

 

“Nah, I don’t think Lev noticed. You were so convincing,” Kuroo grins, mimicking Yaku’s harried tone. “We were working on… on a project and uh… forgot the time. S’not like that screams ‘oh look, a lame excuse’ or anything like that. Not at _all_.” 

 

Yaku flips him the bird. “You’re supposed to be _helping_.” 

 

“I am!” Kuroo glances at the recipe book, and marks a ‘X’ on the page it’s opened to. “Alright, so the pasta was a horrible idea - maybe we can find something easier.” 

 

“It’s hopeless,” Yaku folds over in misery, clutching at his hair. “There’s less than a week to go to Lev’s birthday, and I haven’t even gotten to dessert yet. How am I gonna surprise him -“ 

 

A hand grabs his collar, dragging him to his feet. Ordinarily, Yaku would have punched Kuroo for that, but he can't muster the energy to. They’d spent the better part of the morning - and the afternoon - working on potential recipes he could cook for Lev’s birthday, but so far each attempt had ended in failure and smoke. 

 

“Oh, no. No. You’re not going to stew and leave the damn kitchen like this. Akaashi’s going to kill me when he gets back and sees this mess.” Kuroo thrusts a scrubbing brush in Yaku’s face. “We’ll work something out. But first - less sulking, more cleaning.” 

 

* * *

 

Yaku snores gently, his head pillowed in Lev’s lap, and Lev pats his hair absent-mindedly, the short silky strands slipping through his fingers. Yaku-san’s been doing that a lot lately, nodding off without realising it, and Lev’s not got the heart to wake him, not when Yaku looks like he really needs the rest. 

 

**is Yaku-san okay? He’s been acting kinda weird lately :(((**

 

* * *

 

Lev messages him when he’s in the middle of playing LLSIF, and Kenma’s fingers fumble for a fraction of a second when the notification pops up. He sighs as he loses his perfect streak, and exits the game - there’s no point continuing now, anyway. Kenma’s learned - the hard way - that’s there’s no ignoring Lev. Past experience has taught him that his phone will continue to light up with notifications until he replies. It’s much easier to just send a message - and hopefully satisfy Lev’s curiosity - than have his games interrupted. 

 

_ yeah. dw about it.  _

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Kenma texts Yaku.

 

_ you should maybe talk to lev. he’s worried abt you.  _

 

There. Obligation done, Kenma pulls up LLSIF again - and grimaces when halfway through, not one, but two notifications pop up, one after the other, causing him to falter. Kenma sighs. It’s going to be a long night. 

 

* * *

 

Lev sees less and less of Yaku, and he misses him, a _lot_. That project seemed to be taking forever, and Yaku’s almost always using Lev’s lap as a pillow. Not that Lev minds, of course - he likes spending time with Yaku, no matter what they’re doing. It’s just that… well… he misses talking to him, and cuddling, and watching their favorite shows together. He wonders if Yaku will be free on his birthday, and immediately banishes the thought - it’s being selfish, isn’t it? Yaku-san is busy, and Lev shouldn’t take up too much of his time. He rolls over in bed restlessly, unable to get to sleep. His phone chimes. It’s midnight, October 30, and the screen is lit with a calendar notification: _Happy Birthday!_ Lev scowls at it, and swipes it away; but then the screen lights up again, this time with a new message.

 

It’s Yaku, and Lev scrambles to open it. 

 

_ happy birthday! i figured you’d stay up until midnight ww. anw you should get to sleep soon, tomorrow’s going to be a busy day for you. meet me at my dorm @ 11:00AM - it’s a surprise. i love you. goodnight!  _

 

Lev grins at the ceiling, a warm fluttery feeling settling in his chest. He types an exclamation-mark filled reply, and they banter for a while before Yaku refuses to answer anymore, saying that he needs his rest. Lev pouts at his phone, but he does as he’s told and sets it back on his nightstand. 

 

* * *

 

“Okay, but what if he doesn’t like it?” Yaku paces up and down nervously. Lev’s actual, if impromptu present - a striped grey kitten, with one blue eye and the other green, meows plaintively from his arms, tiny claws scrabbling at the fabric of Yaku’s sweater as she attempts to scale his shoulder. “Maybe this is a stupid idea, and he’s gonna hate it - “ 

 

“He’ll love it. Trust me, okay? This is Lev we’re talking about here.” 

 

“Yes, which is why -“ 

 

“The kid thinks you hung the stars and the moon. He likes cake. He’s smitten with you. Ergo, you’ll both be fine. Hand in glove, and all that.” Kuroo sounds vaguely distracted; the distant noises of traffic filter in on the other end of the line. 

 

“What? That doesn’t even make sense -“ 

 

“Gotta go, bye!” He hangs up without an explanation, and Yaku glares at his phone. It’s a stupid idea, he’s sure of it, and stupid Kuroo, too, for encouraging him and then leaving him in the lurch. 

 

He’s made - well, _they’ve_ (if he counts commentary from Kuroo and Kenma help) waffles and bacon, with matcha cake for dessert. The icing on the top is in the shape of a cat, with Lev’s name scrawled beside it. Then, it had seemed like a good idea - now, it looks childish and way too sparse, and this is a terrible idea - it’s going to be too sweet for brunch, and - 

 

“Yaku-san!” Lev’s at the door now; it’s far too late to reconsider this entire thing, so Yaku does the only thing he can - he lets Lev in. 

 

“Happy birthday,” Yaku says, trying to hide how awkward he feels. He hands the squirming kitten to Lev; she purrs as he scratches her under the chin, and noses at his cheek. Lev’s eyes widen in pleased surprise, and he cradles the kitten close. 

 

“I found her hiding in the stairwell, and. No one’s been by, and you’ve always said you’d love to have a cat, so. I was kind of thinking - maybe we could take care of her together?” Yaku’s blushing; he’s never been good at his own emotions, and he really, really wants this to go well. 

 

“She’s perfect,” Lev kisses the top of her head, and then Yaku’s cheek for good measure. “Have you thought of any names yet?” 

 

“Thought I’d leave that to you.” 

 

“Saki-chan, then!” Lev beams, and the kitten bats at his fingers, meowing. 

 

Yaku catches Lev’s hand, and tugs him over to the table, which is set for two. “And I made lunch. And cake.” 

 

“But you can’t -“ Lev cocks his head, tearing his eyes away from Saki-chan to look at the food. The last time Yaku had tried to prepare food had been memorable - they’d had to call the fire department in. 

 

“Cook? Yeah, but I learned to. It’s your birthday, after all, and I wanted to do something special, since you’ve cooked for me loads of times before.” Something that Lev, ever the romantic, would really appreciate - Disneyland had been great, but there had also been way too many people. 

 

“Was that what the project was about?” Lev’s eyes look suspiciously wet. 

 

“Uhm… yeah.” Yaku scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t any fun. I just… had a lot of training to do. Kuroo and Kenma helped, too.” 

 

He’s unprepared for the hug Lev pulls him into. 

 

“Thank you,” Lev breathes. “You really didn’t have to go to all that trouble, but thank you. I really - this is the best birthday ever! I mean it, Yaku-san!” 

 

Saki-chan lets out an unimpressed yowl at being squashed between the two of them, and Lev lets go, laughing at her displeasure. 

 

Yaku grins, the knot of anxiety in his chest finally loosening at last. He hasn't burned down the kitchen, and judging from the way Lev is grinning from ear to ear, he's delighted. It’s a success, all things considered.

 

“Well, then. Shall we?” 

 

“Yeah!!” 


End file.
